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Dwarf Fortress
Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world. Keep your dwarves happy, grow their community and beware of digging too deeply. The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created.
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Score via Steam as of 2026-09-02 · quoted reviews as of 2026-05-12.
What reviewers agree on
77 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“A lovely game with so much heart and soul. The team behind it are great people. I would start on my fortress around 9pm and look at the clock a few minutes later to see it being 6am. The way the game incorporates your…”
“Reviewing this game has felt a bit redundant. Its achievements seem to speak for themselves. But throwing my words onto the pile... In this game, you play as a particular community of dwarves. You decide how they build,…”
“The graphics look a little outdated compared to GTA VI but otherwise it is just pure perfection.”
10 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“I've enjoyed this game for many years and I still do little dances when it gets updated”
“I mean, if you really think about it, it's one of if not the best games ever made, but the amount of commitment and trial and error required to actually begin to experience it is insane. Genuinely not as hard as some…”
“The game is deep. Deep enough that you get lost in dreams and ambitions. "What were you trying to achieve with this dig anyway?" You make mistakes. It's a hard learning curve. But I keep coming back, it's satisfying to…”
7 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“One of my favourite games ever, I have played it for some many years I have lost count, and it still makes 3 hours pass like 3 minutes. Losing is fun! And thanks to Tarn and Zach for having made this game, you're the…”
“I know my steam hours are low but I've been playing since before it was on steam. Fantastic colony sim game I couldn't praise this game enough. You will never be bored and there is always something to do whether you…”
“Been playing since LazyNewbMod existed before Steam release (A Hell of lot more the 300 Hoours). It is a great colonial sim game, losing is part of the fun. Have fun finding "The Circus". Tarn you built a beautiful…”
6 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“At last... Seing the latest patch-notes and upcoming fixes in the pipe I can finally say: Get into it! It will ruin your life! Ability to build massive sprawling forts - Aye Ability to destroy them in various ways - Aye…”
“I've enjoyed this game for many years and I still do little dances when it gets updated”
“Dwarf Fortress is the real OG. This game has been an almost twenty year labor of love. I'm just glad to have the chance to support the devs.”
6 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“The best game ever created- endless content to explore and so radically in-depth it's like a thousand fantasy books rolled into one experience. Highly highly recommend to everyone.”
“I mean, if you really think about it, it's one of if not the best games ever made, but the amount of commitment and trial and error required to actually begin to experience it is insane. Genuinely not as hard as some…”
“This game is awesome, if you don't mind the steep learning curve it will bring you hours of high quality content. The only issues I see is that some mechanics need serious fixing. Ranged Weapons have been buggy for at…”
23 of the 103 reviews raise this · 20 of them still recommend the game.
“Dwarf Fortress really exists to fulfill a very specific playstyle, and fights you every step of the way doing anything else. As an example, I spend 19 in-game years defending against an endless horde of goblins in the…”
“Watch a short tutorial first or read the Wiki tutorial article. Also, having played the tutorial of Rimworld probably helps conceptually.”
“Its an alright colony sim with a lot of depth. Biggest problem is by far the cumbersome UI. Nothing makes any sense, nothing is intuitive and there is hardly any information about any of the things you are trying to do.…”
7 of the 103 reviews raise this · 5 of them still recommend the game.
“Its an alright colony sim with a lot of depth. Biggest problem is by far the cumbersome UI. Nothing makes any sense, nothing is intuitive and there is hardly any information about any of the things you are trying to do.…”
“[b]Dwarf Fortress is not a game in the traditional sense, and it never communicates that clearly.[/b] A game needs understandable rules, meaningful player agency, and systems you can learn and master. DF doesn’t offer…”
“[h1][b] TLDR: An incredible colony-builder with crazy depth and a vast underground world. Most modern games do what this does better, but still an addicting experience. [/b] [/h1] [h1]PROS: [/h1] ➕Workshop support…”
5 of the 103 reviews raise this · 5 of them still recommend the game.
“[h1][b] TLDR: An incredible colony-builder with crazy depth and a vast underground world. Most modern games do what this does better, but still an addicting experience. [/b] [/h1] [h1]PROS: [/h1] ➕Workshop support…”
“This game is awesome, if you don't mind the steep learning curve it will bring you hours of high quality content. The only issues I see is that some mechanics need serious fixing. Ranged Weapons have been buggy for at…”
“Would be so fun if any form of defending your base was reliable at all :D Traps refuse to go off, "stationed" warriors throw themselves into the worst position to fight from just because something came within a certain…”
4 of the 103 reviews raise this · 4 of them still recommend the game.
“Neuter your cats, your PC will thank you”
“This game is awesome, if you don't mind the steep learning curve it will bring you hours of high quality content. The only issues I see is that some mechanics need serious fixing. Ranged Weapons have been buggy for at…”
“I've been playing this piece of hot garbage since 2010 back in highschool and I can tell you that this is the best it's ever been and I'm still so sick of this game dying to fps stalls and the weight of it's own…”
4 of the 103 reviews raise this · 1 of them still recommend the game.
“Dwarf Fortress really exists to fulfill a very specific playstyle, and fights you every step of the way doing anything else. As an example, I spend 19 in-game years defending against an endless horde of goblins in the…”
“I keep returning to this game because on paper it is the greatest game ever made. But single everytime I leave because the inconsistencies break the immersion and leave me frustrated. This game have a complete economy…”
“[b]Dwarf Fortress is not a game in the traditional sense, and it never communicates that clearly.[/b] A game needs understandable rules, meaningful player agency, and systems you can learn and master. DF doesn’t offer…”
Counted across 103 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 94.8% positive rating · as of 2026-05-12
“I hate this stupid game. After successfully defending my fort from wereanteaters (like werewolves, but anteaters), I took my injured dwarves to the clinic and tended to their wounds. They transformed into wereanteaters themselves due to their infection and destroyed my base from…”
— a player, Steam review · 126 hrs played“I absolutely reconmend 'Gaming's greatest autism project: Dwarf fortress' to any nerd out there like me who is posessed by a fey mood.”
— a player, Steam review · 454 hrs played“Dwarf Fortress in an absolute gem and a piece of modern art that should be regarded as one of the most unique games in history. It is a dream or a vision more than a game, in fact, many would argue it is barely a game and some points would be true. The UI is barely there, many…”
— a player, Steam review · 390 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live data self-collected from the Steam API · history through 2026-06 via SteamCharts.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-09-04). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
20th Anniversary, Myth & Magic art and music 🦄 Dwarf Fortress Patch 53.16
Hey Urists, We're back and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Dwarf Fortress this week with a special show, Myth & Magic at and music updates and a patch. While Myth & Magic work is very much underwa
Dwarf Fortress 20th Anniversary Show
Hey Urists! August 8th marks the 20th anniversary of classic Dwarf Fortress and we've put together an exciting show to celebrate the occasion. Join Tarn and Zach as they play the first ever build of t
The Dino Update is out now! 🦕 Dwarf Fortress Patch 53.15
Hey Urists! The dino update is live now adding 100 extinct creatures to the game. All sprites and portraits are created by Dwarf Fortress artist Guido/Neoriceisgood. We hope you enjoy this update as w
Dinos are coming June 25th! 🦖 Dwarf Fortress Dev Update
We're back and excited to announce that the Dino Update will be arriving June 25th! Featuring: 100 dinos and extinct creatures, including baby and dinomen versions Dinos can be used for war, as a pet
Patch 53.14
Patch Notes 53.14: This small patch fixes a crash to do with the changes to announcements from last time.
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Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-12.
| Genres | Indie, Simulation, Strategy |
| Player tags | Dwarf · Colony Sim · Strategy · Simulation · Base-Building · City Builder · Sandbox · Management · Building · Survival · Rogue-like · Open World (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Steam Workshop · Family Sharing |
| Languages | English |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: XP SP3 or later Processor: Dual Core CPU - 2.4GHz+ Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: 1GB of VRAM: Intel HD 3000 GPU / AMD HD 5450 / Nvidia 9400 GT Storage: 500 MB available space Additional Notes: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system